Angelica, the "Messenger" Plant

fleurishliving

Aug 1, 20206 min read

Updated: Apr 21, 2021

"Angelica is used to allow inner balance, and embodies feminine strength and purity. The spirit of Angelica is strong and compassionate, although somewhat shy. It is the flower of inspiration, and can be used to help people who feel cut off from their inner selves, and is particularly useful during difficult phases in life or when approaching death. It could also perhaps be used for those going through the proverbial 'dark night of the soul' in order to give strength and integrity, granting the promise of sunlight to the person in order to give them the courage to endure until life improves. This herb can be used to treat emotionally empty, hollow people...mentioning that it stimulates the imagination and relaxes the mind. This is probably not surprising given that when the stem is cut, it is hollow in the centre despite supporting a tall, stately plant." - Eldrumherbs

Legend tells an angel appeared to a monk, possibly a 14th-century physician named Mattheus Sylvaticus, in a dream revealing to him that the herb would be able to cure the plague. Another legends tells that it first appeared in the place where Archangel Michael first set foot on Earth from the heavens.

Common Name: Angelica

Latin Name: Angelica archangelica / Archangelica officinalis. The word, "Archangelica" come from the Greek "Angelos", meaning messenger.

Also Known As: Masterwort, Archangel, Garden Angelica, The Angel's Herb, Bellyache Root, Root Of The Holy Ghost, Herba Angelica (Angel's Plant), Ground Ash, Wild Celery

Family: Apiaceae (parsley family)

Plant Type: Herb; Herbaceous perennial / biennial herb

Country or Region of Origin: Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland

Description:

Root: Long, spindle-shaped, thick and fleshy, which can sometimes weight up to three pounds.
Stem: Stems are hollow and fluted and can grow 4 to 6 feet high.
Leaf: Leaves are compound, biternate, bright green/yellow and divided into many leaflets which are finely toothed or serrated, which can grow to three feet. They clasp the base of the plant with somewhat purplish bases.
Flower: The flowers are mostly white but often yellowish or green in color, small but many grouped together in roundish umbels (each to about 6" diameter). They bloom in the summer and then produce oblong fruits with a pleasant scent.
Seeds: The fruits are small and dry schizocarps that split into two seed-containing segments.

Growth Pattern: Angelica should be started from seed. It does not propagate well by division or by cutting the offshoots. It prefers rich, moist, well drained soil and partial shade. In the first year, it produces a clump of compound leaves. In the second year, a hollow-but-stout stem rises to 6' tall bearing large, ornamentally-attractive, globular flower umbels (each to 6" diameter). The flowers bloom in early summer, followed by seed that ripens in late summer. Plants die after the seed ripens.

Harvest: The leaves can be harvested in the spring of the second year, the roots in the fall of the first year, and the seeds when ripe.

Uses:

Ornamental
Culinary: The plant is entirely edible; from its root to its leaves and flowers and has a taste similar to licorice. The root has a slightly bolder taste than the seed, and combines well in yeast breads, cakes, muffins, and cookies making it popular as a candied dessert or sweetmeat. The stems can be candied and can be used to decorate cakes or puddings. The leaves can be used fresh in salads, soups, stews, or as a garnish. Both the roots and seeds are used commercially to flavor herb liqueurs, such as Benedictine and chartreuse, and the root is a flavoring agent in gin and vermouth. The Danish were the first to produce and market Angelica as a sweet. The delicacy had spread to England by the early 17th century, where they used the roots and stem to create a sweet treat. In Iceland, it is popularly considered a vegetable.
Medicinal: Digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and female reproductive issues. Angelica, known as Dong Quai, has been used in Chinese medicine for over 4000 years.
Aromatherapy, Essential Oil: There are two essential oils which come from angelica; one from the root and one from the seed. The seed yields more oil and is thus less expensive, but the root oil is deeper and more concentrated.
- Scent: Earthy, herbaceous, spicy
- Note: Base/Middle
- Chemical Family: Monoterpenes; also includes coumarins
- Blends Well With: Angelica is typically used in a blend. It blends well with: Bergamot, Cardamon, Clary Sage, Coriander, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Frankincense, Geranium, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Juniper, Lime, Lemon, Lemongrass, Orange, Patchouli, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Vetiver
Flower Essence
- Positive Qualities: Feeling protection and guidance from spiritual beings, especially at threshold experiences such as birth and death
- Patterns of Imbalance: Feeling cut off, bereft of spiritual guidance and protection

"When using the flower essence of Angelica the "soul becomes more able to perceive and discriminate its connection to the subtle sheaths surrounding the physical world. Angelica especially encourages the individual to develop a relationship with the spiritual world, transforming an overly abstract or intellectual viewpoint into a genuine feeling for spiritual presence and spiritual beings. This awareness is particularly enhanced for that group of spiritual beings who immediately border the human kingdom: the angels. Through a living relationship with the angelic realm, the human soul receives guardianship and guidance in daily affairs, and protection at times of crisis or during threshold experiences. This feeling of being protected and cared for is of enormous importance to the inner life, giving the soul great strength and courage for its work in transforming and healing the world. Angelica is broadly indicated for many flower essence formulas and is particularly important at threshold times such as birth, death, festival celebrations, or other major life passages." - Flower Essences Service

Incense/Smudge: Angelica is also used in healing incenses and mixtures for purification, protection, healing, inspiration, and to bring visions. It is warm and drying and useful in convalescence.

Other Attributes

Powers: Protection, healing, inspiration, visions
Chakra: Root, Heart, Brow, Crown
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus
Astrological Sign: Leo
Birthday Flower: July 11
Element: Fire, Air
Deities: Venus, Sun Gods such as Helios, Lugh, Apollo, Freyr and Ra, Sun Goddesses, such as Sunna / Sol and Amaterasu
Angels: Michael and Gabriel
Animals: Bat, Unicorn
Gemstones: Angelite, blue calcite, blue lace agate, celestite, cobaltoan calcite, elestial quartz, channeling quartz, pink tourmaline, smoky quartz, unakite.
Numbers: 11, 22
Festival: Summer Solstice; Winter Solstice, Imbolc

History

It was thought of as a “journeying medicine” in ancient times due to its reported ability to relax and open the mind.
People intoned ancient chants whenever the herb was taken to market. Angelica was later used in Christian ceremonies and became known as the root of the Holy Ghost.
Angelica has been cultivated since the tenth century. When the Vikings started trading in Europe during the 9th century, it was an important commodity. In early Icelandic law, a person could be fined for stealing angelica from someone else’s garden patch. It gained popularity among the Scandinavian Saami people in the twelfth century, who consider it a sacred herb.
Paracelsus (c. 1493-1541), a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher who lived during the plague, referred to Angelica as a ‘marvelous medicine’ to treat the terrible infectious disease. Doctors advised patients to chew Angelica to avoid the plague and the dry roots and seeds were burned in chafing pans over hot coals to disinfect, scent, and purify the home.
John Gerard (also John Gerarde, c. 1545–1612), an English botanist with a large herbal garden in London, claimed that it “cureth the bitings of mad dogs and all other venomous beasts.” It was also put to work against “poisons, agues and all infectious maladies.”
In the 1600's, along with nutmeg and treacle, angelica water was an ingredient in “the King’s Majesty’s Excellent Recipe for the Plague,” a remedy, to be taken twice a day, was published by the Royal College of Physicians.
In 1877, The British Flora Medica mentions that Laplanders regard angelica as a very important herb, using it primarily as a digestive aide; they also used the stem of the plant to make a local musical instrument called fadno, a flute.
The Iroquois used Angelica in an infusion of smashed roots as wash to remove ghosts from the house. Missouri tribes used to smoke the leaves of the plant after drying them since they believed it to be a cure for colds and respiratory infections.
As a folk medicine, Angelica was a principal ingredient in magical rejuvenating elixirs that were believed to prolong life. It acquired a reputation for weaning people from alcohol, as a cure for smoking, and was even prescribed as a cure for rabid dog bites. It was also a common practice for concerned parents to mix dried, powdered Angelica root with wine and give a drink to their children in order to reduce the raging hormones in young persons.

Safety/Cautions:

This plant can be confused with water hemlock, a deadly poison, or hogweed, which causes photodermatitis with just a touch.
Angelica should not be used by pregnant women as it may cause miscarriage.
Use with extreme caution, if you have diabetes due to its high sugar (ketone) concentration.
Use with caution, if you have hyperacidity or peptic ulceration, duodenitis and gastro-esophageal reflux.
Use with extreme care, if you are on warfarin or any other anticoagulant.
Avoid using on the skin before going out in the sun.